]]>Sun, 18 Sep 2016 16:13:27 +0000http://tynan.com/community/1314854Internet Marketing question: Twitterhttp://tynan.com/community/1267758
Does anybody have any tips for automated marketing software for Twitter? Or at least how to Follow more than 5,000 accounts?

I am up to "Following" 5,000 people (accounts) on Twitter. I have done really well on getting orders from the people I have been following. It appears that Twitter won't let you keep following accounts past 5,000. I have Unfollowed some accounts and Followed new people. Any tips on how to break through this limit.

Of course, I can always create more Twitter accounts. Which may be my next course.

Thanks ahead of time for any tips on internet social media marketing. Especially automated software that works good at a low price.

]]>Tue, 05 Apr 2016 20:58:09 +0000http://tynan.com/community/1267758Who are your favorites for President 2016?http://tynan.com/community/1208988
The 2016 Presidential race has plenty of candidates. The front runner is Hillary Clinton, and for a while it seemed like no one was going to challenge her for the Democrat nomination. She now has some competition, and I wondered what Tynan's readers think of our choices.

My personal favorite candidates are the following:

1. Rand Paul (Republican): Liberty, less government, End the wars, End being the policeman of the world, balanced budget, pay down debt

-I also like Dr. Ben Carson.

2. Jim Webb (Democrat): Get us out of Middle East wars, balance budget, intelligent decision maker that doesn't cow-tow to Lobbyist and political friends.

Interesting characters in the race:

Donald Trump... Supposedly has a net worth of $9 Billion. Says what he thinks and doesn't care if it hurts people's feelings. He's definitely NOT politically correct. Stated he is willing to spend a couple HUNDRED million dollars on the race.

Bernie Sanders....The anti-rich candidate. He wants to soak the Billionaires with high taxes, and spend the money on government programs. He has offered a lot of free stuff, like make college free. I don't believe that it will work out to be a better society if this happens.

Ted Cruz...Outspoken Texas Senator. Very conservative, although doesn't stay in line with the Republican leadership. Very smart guy...Harvard education. He's a little too religious leaning for me.

Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton....My opinion is that they have been in powerful positions their entire life and will look out for their friends and family too much.

There are over a dozen more candidates that I haven't been impressed enough to comment about.

]]>Fri, 03 Jul 2015 18:31:35 +0000http://tynan.com/community/1208988Rialta updates: 1740W array, air conditioner, waterless "composting" toilet, and hydraulic supermoto haulerhttp://tynan.com/community/1210653
I realize the community forums aren't very active and a several Rialta folks are moving on to other living arrangements, but surely someone will find this helpful. On the topic of summer heat, I realize I could’ve rel]]>

I realize the community forums aren't very active and a several Rialta folks are moving on to other living arrangements, but surely someone will find this helpful. On the topic of summer heat, I realize I could’ve relocated to another climate, but I love the community in Austin and decided to put my time, money, and energy into improving my living space over relocation costs plus building a new community elsewhere. Big ups out to Dave R. for proving the possibilities of solar-powered air-conditioning, out to J. Donna for all the enthusiasm, help, friendship, free tow, and new tires, and of course out to Tynan for sharing all kinds of fantastic hacks and leading us to RV life. Tynan, I don’t know where I’d be without a marine fridge, great find!

PM me for an album of the build

Yes, the new array reliably runs both runs the 5kbtu air conditioner and charges my batteries simultaneously from 10AM-5PM. I only having 4 golf cart batteries, so I usually shut off the A.C. after 5pm because my panels are permanently mounted flat (not tiltable towards a sunset) and I simply don't have the battery capacity to run it at night. Yamaha's 1000W ultra quiet generator runs up to 9-10 hours per gallon, so that's a likely upgrade I'll add in the old generator compartment to run it at night, though I really wish it had an electric start so it can be programmed to come on only when needed (anyone know of a similar 1000W high-efficiency, ultra-quiet, electric-start model or a hack to modify the Yamaha?). The four SunPower 435W panels are 20% efficient and outperformed my expectations (in clear direct sunlight, two panels can often put out over 600W and I’ve seen them peak over 700W!) causing me to add an additional MidNite Classic 150 charge controller (which do need networked to each other btw, otherwise they get confused when trying to change charge stages). Though the controller is $620, it was still more cost efficient for me over wiring the bank to 24V, then adding a big (big to start generator occasionally, otherwise 12V loads are relatively small) 24V-12V step-down converter, 2kW 24V pure sine inverter, and a 120VAC->24VDC charger for emergencies. Keeping the bank at 12V allows me to still use the van's alternator to charge the bank in an emergency, which I've had to do once when it was left in a shop unexposed to sun for a week for maintenance and I forgot to turn off the marine fridge, otherwise the solenoid is always disconnected. I found the new panels for $300 each a couple hours away on Craigslist and knew this was my best shot at an air-conditioned summer. Austin, Texas has had a abnormally mild & rainy summer so far, so it hasn't been tested in 100F heat yet; I really need to add a heavy insulation blanket between the van & coach, as well as insulating the bubble skylight. I did already add insulation to most of the non-moving upper sections of the cabin windows plus the entire rear window; naturally it's coldest on the bed. Currently in the central desk/kitchen area, it’s really never cold, just cool enough to not drown in sweat, and I do run two directional fans inside 24/7 (not the roof vent fan while A.C. is on obviously). Sealing up door gaskets and vents could help too. I’ll also note that the microwave and stock electric water heater are used regularly too, but never all at the same time (I have a Prowatt 2000 inverter wired into the breaker panel). Not pictured in the photo album is the hole cut in shelf where the intake ducting is ported into the air conditioner's enclosure.

The lightly used digitally-controlled 5kbtu A.C. is rated at 490W, but it actually draws 700W running all day on any given unlevel street. I may test others to see if I have a lemon, but in reality, a couple hundred watts saved might only allow me to run it an extra half hour per day. Anyone out there know if this is a common problem? Ultimately, I’d try a 20+SEER 9kbtu mini-split A.C. with heat pump, but that’s a lot more money.

Yes, it's way over the weight capacity, especially with the 290lb WR250X plus maybe 70 lbs of steel in the hydraulic hauler; no problems so far and I’m impressed with the heavy duty rear leaf springs even without the (leaking) airbags. I baby the Rialta when driving and go slow over bumps and entrances. Like everything else, the hauler is custom built, but it operates similarly to Ultimate MX Hauler. The WR250X has a 6-speed transmission, fuel injection, a dual sport motor (not a high-maintenance racing engine), and is one of the lightest bikes I could find that had those features that can still do highway speeds. With basic upgrades, it can cruise at 90mph and get 60mpg. It's not the devilish V4 VFR I desperately miss, but it's more practical and makes parking the RV much easier without the old swivel-wheel hauler.

The waterless “composting” toilet works great and truly does not stink, only when urine isn't drained for a several days or some diarrhea nastiness is happening. I built it to save water, save trips to a dump site, and to solve the smell of my old toilet. I built it rather than buying the Nature’s Head model because I have a hard time believing that N.H. owners effortlessly aim poo through the small (3”?) diameter shoot and never have to clean poo-skids, and I wasn’t keen on paying $1000 to find out for myself. Solids are mixed with cedar or pine shavings that I get for free (anything like sawdust or coco coir would work fine too). No agitator is used; solids and shavings are deposited in a grocery bag that lines the bucket, which is simply tied and tossed when full. The urine is stealthily dumped in unoccupied areas with a valve from the 2.5 gallon container to the ground behind the curbside rear tire (just like the shower). I had to run a separate line for each the shower and urinal (not shown in the pictures). For extra measure, I do hit everything with Lysol after each use and dump bleach in the urinal periodically.

I may try to link my black and grey tanks together in the future since the black isn't being used. Anyone have tips for that? Relatively harmless grey water is simply dumped in appropriate, convenient, and unoccupied areas instead of paying dump sites, and I turned the dump outlet to face the curb so it doesn't spew out towards me.

Other mods I may look into include a Chilipad electric cooling & heating pad for the bed. My old Wave 3 heater wasn’t enough for my liking, so I traded it up for a vent-free blue flame convection heater (non-directional) with a digital thermostat and fan; though now, I may be able to run a small electric heater during winter days depending on sunlight. Any other ideas for using excess electricity? Hah, how many hours might a Bitcoin miner operate before it pays for itself? The idea of running a dehumidifier to fill the fresh tank would be awesome; the water would need filtered I imagine; please share any other thoughts. Hah, if the “HHO” electrolysis voodoo actually worked, I could maybe create my some engine fuel :-P I’ll likely be installing a subwoofer and a couple exterior speakers before long.

I'm open to any questions & comments; give me a shout if you’re ever through Austin. I’m fairly confident I own the world’s most powerful array ever installed atop a Class B, maybe even a Class C; it’s a bit silly I know, the big investment to run an air conditioner for 7 hrs/day, but I was able & excited and have fun with the experiment. Hopefully solar technology, advanced supercapacitors, lithium & aluminum-carbon batteries, and high-SEER mini-splits will all become more affordable in the coming years to expand HVAC possibilities. Also, let's hope that MIT personal climate control wristband device can work some real magic too.

Questions for you: - Know of a similar 1000W high-efficiency, ultra-quiet, electric-start generator or a hack to modify the Yamaha to e-start? - Do window air conditioners normally draw significantly more power than they’re rated for? Or could it be my application with the enclosure (possible heat build-up) and unlevel street parking? - Ideas for using excess electricity?- Hours needed for a Bitcoin miner to pay for itself? - Know how I might link the black and grey tanks together? It’s likely simple, I just haven’t dug around yet.- Any thoughts on using a dehumidifier to fill the fresh tank?

]]>Fri, 10 Jul 2015 02:41:46 +0000http://tynan.com/community/1210653Major Rialta remodelationhttp://tynan.com/community/88096
Hey all! so I'm starting to plan out how my RV interior layout will be on my 97 rialta (twin beds). Because I am looking at living in it full time in August of next year, I decided to change anything that I need to in order to minimize compromise from a small apartment. Some things I really wanted are a full size couch where I can fit 3 people comfortably, a full size desk with minimal compromises compared to a desk found in a regular home and lastly a full size queen bed, roughly 60" by 78". Of course, the Rialta doesn't have enough space for half of those things so I am hoping to take advantage of my mechanical engineering degree and design transformational furniture that does all those 3 things. Also I am hoping most things are spring aided so transforming the bed to desk or couch takes minimal effort.

it is in queen size bed configuration - the inside width of the rialta is about 82.5" the CAD model I have right now only uses a 78" foam mattress allosing for a bit over 2" on each side for all the arms/mechanisms. the bed would actually be raised to about where the back counter is (next to the window) so the space under it can fit your legs when you are in desk mode. I was thinking about convenience of making the bed/keeping order and I think all my sheets and blankets will have strong neodymium magnets sown into them to get them to stick to the sides when it is made or stick to a different surface during transition.

so in this picture the front side of the bed, roughly 20" can be easily lifted up with the aid of some springs on the arms.

The front part of the bed tilts to that position and is stopped by either something in the back of the RV or something mounted on the frame. next there is a mechanism to release the front portion of the top mattress allowing it to swivel somewhere in the rear portion like so.

so here we have a full size couch that can comfortably fit 3 people. the backrest is 20"which is about what couches are. The exposed bottom is 22" long which is pretty close to a couch once again.

I want to put a swivel and hiding TV screen next to the bathroom door so that people siting on this couch could watch tv/play videogames.

next to go into desk mode, the backrest of the couch goes back up and then the longer mattress part of the bed is lifted up and it swivels on the rear.

this exposes 2 monitors and some storage space for mouse/keyboard/books...

on the top portion there are some LED lights to illuminate some pictures on the back board

below the desk there is a keyboard tray / extensions that slide out on the sides for extra desk space.

I am currently in the process of tearing everything out of my RV so I can get a better idea of the usable volume of things I can move - heater/ water heater... vs things that I don't want to move or area that isn't usable (water tank - wheel cutouts)...

My general usage would probably be considered light: I'm in the office everyday, during the day + usually don't spend the bulk of weekend time in the RV. So I don't accumulate much.

However, it seems like time, not quantity, is the biggest factor, when it comes to odors. Any amount of waste - from only 2 or 3 #1s all the way to a half-full tank of everything - seems to become noticeable (even if just slightly) after a week or two.

Also, whenever I drive, the black tank has to be empty. My experience is that any amount of waste - again, even only 2 or 3 #1s - will create noticeable odors whenever you drive for more than 20-30 minutes and they'll find their way up to the driver's area.

Finally, I've been A/B testing using a tank deodorant. I think I read HandyBob say that he doesn't use any tank deodorant because, in his opinion, needing to use a deodorant means the seals on your waste system aren't sufficiently keeping odors out + that's what you need to fix.

]]>Sun, 27 Apr 2014 01:26:07 +0000http://tynan.com/community/163045Rolexes: Why They're Awesome and How to Get Them Dirty Cheaphttp://tynan.com/community/buyrolex
SHORT VERSION: Here is a link to my saved search on eBay that shows cheap Rolexes that are probably worth buying. Read on to see why.
A month ago or so I wrote a post called, No One Cares if you Buy a Rolex. If you didn't read it and don't feel like doing any link-clicki]]>

A month ago or so I wrote a post called, No One Cares if you Buy a Rolex. If you didn't read it and don't feel like doing any link-clicking, the gist of it was that when I was younger I bought a Rolex, assuming that people would be really impressed, but in the end no one noticed or cared. You can't buy your way into being interesting.

Ironically, in writing that post, I remembered how much I loved my Rolex, despite the fact that no one else cared about it. At the same time, I had stopped really using the advanced features of the Suunto GPS watch that I had, and was thinking about getting some different watch.

Maybe I ought to get a Rolex, I thought...

Getting something as a status symbol is really lame. Although Rolexes are seen as status symbols (again... that's mostly in theory because no one ever notices them), they're also really excellent watches. I don't think most people understand just how good a Rolex really is.

A Rolex (with the exception of a now discontinued line called the Oysterquartz) is a mechanical watch. That means that it doesn't have batteries and doesn't have a quartz crystal. It has a spring that is wound up either by twisting the crown, or by harnessing the energy generated through wrist movement using a rotor. The spring powers one hundred and fifty moving parts to deliver really accurate time (gaining or losing only a few seconds a day).

To be clear, a $9 quartz watch is probably more accurate than a Rolex. But then again, a photograph is more accurate than a Monet. There's something to the art of it-- the fact that these one hundred and fifty moving parts continue to work for years on end, powered only by flicks of the wrist, through conditions as varied as scuba diving hundreds of feet deep in the ocean to climbing mount Everest.

Rolex isn't the only mechanical watch to be able to do this (Omega and Tag Heuer are similar, and I'm sure there are others I don't know about), but they are real pioneers in the field and, in terms of balancing accuracy and reliability, there is no better.

The point of all this is that a Rolex isn't a jewelry watch like a Gucci watch would be. A gucci watch would most likely be a quartz watched stamped with a bunch of logos. If they do have a mechanical watch, it would have been developed by someone else, made in China, and then stamped with logos.

I personally love the idea of a manual watch. To me it's a triumph of humanity that these things exist. I love the idea that such a rugged and precise machine can be built, and that it can fit in my watch, hidden in a tiny case.

The next most interesting thing about a Rolex is that although the price tag is quite high, it could be argued that the cost of owning one is negative. That's because Rolexes tend to appreciate over time, mainly because the style hasn't changed drastically since inception, making a 40 year old watch look roughly new.

I bought my first Rolex in 2001 for $1400. Today it would sell for $1900 if I hadn't lost it. That's not an incredible return, but it's very low risk (insure the watch from theft/loss for $30/year if you want to really make it low risk), and you get to have a cool watch for many years.

Even more interesting is that right now there are insane deals to be had on Rolexes. I actually have three of them right now because I didn't realize how plentiful good deals are, and I kept jumping on deals I thought were 'once-in-a-lifetime' deals. Some examples:

1. I bought a 1991 Air-King for $1250. I thought I was going to keep it, but one week and two Rolexes later, it's going up on eBay. I estimate that it's worth around $1700-2000.

2. I bought a 1980 DateJust for $1700. I should be able to sell this one for $1900-2000, maybe more.

3. I bought and will keep a 1999 DateJust with a diamond dial for $2100. If I wanted to sell it today, I could get around $3000.

If you combine a really good deal with years of modest appreciation, you're looking at buying a really excellent watch and earning 5-10% per year average on the "investment". On the other hand, any cheap watch you buy will tend to lose value over time. I loved my Suunto and got some really good use out of it, but I sold it for about half what I paid for it after a couple years.

Anyway, I'm not trying to convince you to buy a Rolex. I'm just trying to explain what makes them worth having, and will share some tricks to getting them really cheap. My guide to buying a Rolex will focus on the DateJust, which is the classic dress watch (that can still be worn scuba-diving), but most of the tips will work for any model.

The key dates to know for a DateJust are as follows. In 1978 Rolex introduced a "quickset" feature, which makes it much faster to switch the date at the end of a 28-30 day month. My first Rolex was a 1974 and not having quickset wasn't that big of a deal, but it's a nice feature and 1978 is a good starting point.

In the late 80s, Rolex switched the crystal from acrylic to sapphire crystal. Opinion is divided on this, with most collectors and enthusiasts favoring the acrylic crystal. Acrylic definitely looks better and doesn't hold fingerprints as much, but it is easier to scratch. Buffing out scratches with a polishing cloth is pretty easy. Sapphire, on the other hand, is pretty much impossible to scratch. I prefer Sapphire because I tend to do things that risk scratching the watch, but it's a personal choice.

In the mid nineties, the case was switched to a holeless case. This is a very minor difference-- the pins that hold the bracelet onto the watch are hidden. Since then there have been no notable improvements. The quickset movement is called a 3035 and the next evolution, introduced in 199x is called the 3135. Both of them have their strong points and their supporters-- the point is that very little has changed over the years, so you can buy an old Rolex and it's essentially the same as a new Rolex. The 1980 DateJust and the 1999 DateJust I currently have are the exact same color schemes and both keep time with the same level of accuracy. Other than the different crystal, the holeless case of the newer one, and the less worn band of the newer one, they are indistinguishable.

Because you're working with around 20 years of available Rolexes (I've never seen great deals on the newest ones), you will have a LOT of watches to choose from. This means that you can take the approach of lowballing everybody until someone accepts your deal. Given the current economy, pretty much everyone takes your offer. I've really been amazed at how cheaply people are willing to let go of these watches.

The two major places to look are Craigslist and eBay. On Craigslist, just search for Rolex with an upper price of $2500. I wouldn't ever pay more than that. A late 70s watch should go for closer to $1600. Whenever you see a watch, offer a really low price that's $100 more than most people will offer. In other words, offer $2100 instead of $2000, $1600 instead of $1500. I almost got a watch for $1300 just because everyone else was offering $1200, but someone paid his full asking price at the last minute.

Don't get attached to any given watch. in this economy a lot of people are selling their Rolexes, so another one will come up. If you overpay, or fail to get a really good deal, you're largely negating the good-deal benefit of buying a Rolex.

On Craigslist the biggest advantage you can have over other sellers is to be really easy to deal with. Most people on Craigslist are not. My initial email might look something like this:

"Hey, I'm interested in the Rolex you're selling on Craigslist. I don't mean to insult you, but I think the watch is worth about $1600. I know you're asking for more, but if you're interested in that price, I can meet you at your convenience with cash in hand."

The last watch I bought was from a really nice guy who I sent a similar email to. When I bought the watch he thanked me for being so easy to work with and kept saying how glad he was to be done with selling it. Selling on Craigslist is annoying. We both know he could have gotten a bit more money if he held out, but he would have had to meet with a bunch of unreliable people who wouldn't show up with cash, or would try to renegotiate after agreeing on a price. Convenience is worth something.

If you're buying on eBay, you again want to email offers in. Most buy it now prices aren't that great, and auctioned Rolexes, by definiton, go for market price. The ideal watch to offer on is one that's been on eBay for a few days with no bids. At that point the seller might start to wonder if it's going to get bid up or just get sold for his opening price. The Air-King I bought had a starting price of $1000 and no bids. I offered $1250 and he took it. My guess is that if he left it on eBay it would have sold for $1700 or more.

Many sellers will also list buy it now prices that are unrealistic. Email them and offer them much less. I haven't actually bought one this way but I've gotten some really solid counter-offers back.

With eBay sellers you don't really need to worry about fakes. Just look for good feedback, and if it does turn out to be fake, eBay buyer protection will cover you. In person if you don't know what to look for, you might be better off meeting at a watch store, where they can verify that it's real. It's pretty easy if you know what to look for, so they probably won't charge you for the service. If they do, it would be $10-20.

There are two color schemes for the DateJust, stainless steel and 18k gold / stainless two-tone. They are the same price right now because the stainless steel is more in style. However, because the two tone one has a real gold crown and bezel, and also real gold center links in the bracelet, it probably has a higher intrinsic value. If you like that look, I bet it will appreciate more than the stainless one over time. I prefer the stainless look, though, so I've bought only stainless ones other than my first one many years ago.

There are also two ways to make the watch significantly cheaper after buying it. If you're lucky enough to get one that comes with the Rolex boxes, you can sell those for $100-200 on eBay. Resale value isn't really impacted by not having the box (DO keep the certificate if it comes with it, though), so you may as well sell them and take the cash. I got boxes with my 1999 watch, and they're on ebay right now.

You could also consider selling the bracelet of the watch and buying an aftermarket one. An aftermarket bracelet costs $25-75 and is probably better than the one that came with the watch, since the one with the watch will be stretched out a bit from use. The original bracelets go for $300 or so on eBay, which is sort of crazy. The resale value of your watch WILL decrease if it comes with an aftermarket one, but probably not by as much as you gain by selling it.

Using all these tricks, you can easily get a nice Rolex for $1000-1500 that will sell for almost twice as much. There are so many good deals out there that if I wasn't so busy, I would probably start a side business reselling them. Here's an ebay link with the search I use to find Rolexes.

]]>Wed, 25 Jul 2012 23:03:06 +0000http://tynan.com/community/buyrolexhttp://testosteroneboosterup.com/lreve-24k-cream/http://tynan.com/community/1197230
L’Reve 24k says its product line covers potent fixings that fight off noticeable aging signs. The cream rejuvenates and reinstates the cells of the casing, while also indorsing the manufacture of collagen. Yes! This product is 100% safe and proven. This particular anti-aging skin upkeep cream is complete from a mixture of 100% natural product. We offer a great price to the quality of the usual skin care crops and the care we pursue to give each customer. The allegations made by the manufacturers of the L’Reve 24k cream are totally unfounded. They haven’t verified their crops, and they haven’t sold many whichever. In the absence of a well-made website, we can’t faith that this creation offers any consequences. There’s no comprehensive list of fixings, either. The ones stated are not backed by resistant, and there are no specifications in what amounts these potent ingredients are included in the cream.

]]>Mon, 01 Jun 2015 07:01:47 +0000http://tynan.com/community/1197230How can we stop spam from this blog?http://tynan.com/community/1201097
It's been annoying and I'd prefer not to unsubscribe, even though the community section isn't very active these days. Can a delay be set up so that emails notifications of new community posts won't be sent for half a day, enough time for mods to delete the posts before notifications are sent?